


Coming Down

by kirschtrash



Series: Musical Musings [10]
Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bonnie and Clyde Fusion, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ash Lynx Lives, Ash Lynx Needs A Hug, Broken Families, Crimes & Criminals, Dark Past, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Okumura Eiji Needs a Hug, Partners in Crime, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, well kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 18:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19323259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirschtrash/pseuds/kirschtrash
Summary: Eiji would sacrifice a hundred safe nights if it meant he’d return to Ash’s loving arms every single time.Being his ride or die made him feel free. Beinghismade him feel alive.





	Coming Down

**Author's Note:**

> When you hurt yourself by watching Banana Fish (and crying) you need to write some Ash/Eiji Bonnie & Clyde AU fic (and cry some more)
> 
> PLEASE NOTE BEFORE READING:  
> \- Both Ash and Eiji are above 20 years in this fic - no one is below the age of consent! Just wanted to put that out there!  
> \- Warning: non-explicit mentions of past rape and child abuse - please read with care
> 
> [Tumblr](https://kirschtrash.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kirschtrash?lang=en) in case u wanna talk (or cry) with me ;u;

A soft breeze ran through dense trees, rustling as if they were alive. It carried the earthy scent of moist soil, cool and damp against his skin. But it only seemed to brush past him - never settling, never stagnant. As restless as Eiji was.

That was what you’d expect after having robbed a bank.

Repeating those choice words never failed to amaze him. Robbed a bank - it felt like he were saying it in third person about someone else, as if he were explaining the climax of some action motion picture. And yet there he was, laying inside a 70’s Volkswagen minivan, hiding in a lone forest on the outskirts of town, straining his ears unconsciously for any sirens. There he was, with his skin still warm to the touch, blood still running high with adrenaline, and his heart roaring in his chest.

There he was, after having robbed a fucking bank with Ash Lynx.

Eiji wiped off the sweat collecting over his brow, and looked to his left. There lay Ash Lynx, in all of his lithe glory. Blond strands of hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, and his chest rose and fell with deep, steady breaths. His forearm covered his eyes the entire time. _He was recollecting himself_ , he thought. _Like a lynx preparing itself for the next hunt._

The thought made him smirk. It had always been like that with Ash: always planning the next ten steps beforehand, always preparing for every worst case scenario possible, always on-the-move. To him, it felt as if the whole world could go against him at any moment. He had to be prepared, or else he’d regret it.

It was one of the contributing reasons to why they started robbing banks in the first place; a friend of his - who went by the peculiar name “Shorter” - had promised the perfect escape for him. If they raised the right amount of money, they could essentially have their identities vanished from the face of this Earth. No more thefts, no more cops, and no more running away from their past mistakes. A fresh new start.

A quick escape was all Ash wanted, and Eiji couldn’t blame him. All he ever wanted was to erase his past. A past tainted with the unsolicited touch of his uncle that went on for years. A past heavy with guilt for being violated by his own blood, and his own blood turning against him the moment he confessed it. _A man can’t be raped_ , they had said, marked with the ringing snap of the belt.

His was a past that forced him to live on road-sides and abandoned places, surrounded by people who never had his back, not unless he did something in return. The nature of his tasks were always grimy, and always left his hands covered in blood.

Ash couldn’t wait to run away from a life that never favored him to begin with. He wanted to escape quick.

_And what about me?_

Eiji Okumura: a simple boy born into a simple family in a simple town. A ten-year-old who had to see his mother on her deathbed, breathing her last few moments with him. A fourteen-year-old boy who woke up one day alone in his house, with the only traces of his father being the heavy stench of alcohol, and a scrap of paper on the kitchen table that said “I’ll be back” with no promise of ever returning.

It hadn’t been long before Eiji was kicked out of his house by the landlord, and forced to live in the same place where he worked: an old bar built on the border of his town, welcoming any new traveler with open arms. The fact that not many came around to visit was a different issue.

However, that spell of no customers was broken the day a strange young man came strolling in: jean jacket over one shoulder, a tooth-pick lodged in his mouth, and an intimidating stare to go with it all.  
Surprisingly enough, Eiji had been the one who gave him his beer and cigarettes. When asked to pull out a lighter, he obeyed dutifully, but not without being captured by his strong gaze. That bit was unplanned - but God, Eiji didn’t regret it.

_How could I regret it? It’s what first drew me to him._

His eyes had glinted a sharp green as he held the lighter near his mouth, the tiny flame dancing in his irises. The scowl vanished for just a moment, replaced with something gentler, calmer - a lot more… different.

Eiji would be wrong if he said he felt some spark at that point. _No, it felt as if I had known him for centuries._

That connection was something unlike anything Eiji had ever felt in his entire life. Even thinking about it made his heart tug, like being pulled by something magnetic. It was something he’d always feel when he was around Ash - as if one of the Universe’s many unseen forces were making him want to learn more about this enigmatic twenty-one-year-old man, who didn’t seem to like talking about himself. Even though he’d answer many of Eiji’s persistent questions, he’d always seemed to do so behind a veil; always on-guard.

And yet, his secrecy never shied Eiji away. In fact, it only motivated him to learn more about him. No matter how dark those secrets were, he never seemed to be afraid. Even when he spotted a “ _Wanted_ ” poster bearing the name “Ash Lynx” and a sketch of his face, he didn’t tremble. When he finally found out about all the crimes he was held accountable for - involvement with drug-dealers, theft, and murder - he didn’t feel fear.

Despite everything, Eiji had been the first one to kiss him breathless. Despite everything, he had chosen to be his ride or die.

Of course, he never wanted to sign up for the dangers of living a life with a criminal on the loose. He had wanted forever with him - but never thought that it would involve the both of them putting their lives on the line everyday, just to fight for it.

Even so, he didn’t have it in him to complain; he was too deeply involved, and too madly in love to back out. Strangely enough, he didn’t want to back out. Ash gave him the change he so desperately needed: a shot of taking control of his own fucking life, in a world that abandoned him. A taste of freedom. The chance to live the life of a legend.

That was what Ash said the first time they made love under the stars: _we’re legends, you and I._

The way he had whispered it with a smile - the word couldn’t have sounded any more beautiful.

Legends. It resonated in Eiji’s mind as he turned to his side to look at his lover closely. Ash had now removed his arm from his face, revealing a steely expression underneath. Even so, those eyes glimmered when they met his own - filled with wild, irresistible youth.

Before Eiji could break the silence, Ash lifted a knuckle and brushed it against his cheek. It stung a little, and Ash noticed him wince. His brows furrowed at the center of his forehead at the sight. It worried him.

Before guilt could wear him down, Eiji grabbed his hand and let his palm rest against his cheek. His skin was calloused but gentle, and so, so warm.

“It’s just a scratch, Ash.”

Eiji hoped those words would be enough to calm him. For a moment, he feared it wasn't; he could already see guilt clouding his vision. But then, it vanished in the blink of an eye - and he was back to his regular self.

Ash scoffed as he withdrew his hand, but not without pinching Eiji’s cheek first. He placed that arm beneath his head, and the other over his stomach, as he let out a sigh. Training his gaze at their car’s ceiling, he smirked:

“Damn, and here I forget that you’ve been doing this with me for a whole year, now. Guess I got faith in you that you won’t get your brains blown.”

Eiji laughed at his brash humor. Lifting his head and leaning it against his knuckles, he said, “I guess I got God by my side.”

Eiji half expected Ash to laugh at his religious statement, and half expected to hear some kind of sarcastic scoff. But to his surprise, he got nothing. Only silence.

Something wasn’t sitting well with Ash - he could see it in the way his fingers started drumming against his chest. _A habit of his_ , he thought, _whenever something was bothering him._

“God, huh?” Ash asked.

It felt like he were trying to break the uncomfortable silence himself - but to no avail. It came back thicker than ever. His finger began drumming faster.

Eiji knew Ash hated pleasantries, or attempts at beating around the bush. He hated being treated as a weakling; he’d much rather have the truth hurled at him, rather than have a lie comfort him back to sleep.

Something was bothering him, Eiji knew that. Instead of letting it slide, he wanted Ash to come to terms with it. No more running away.

He scooted closer, feeling Ash’s perpetual warmth spread all over him. He didn’t seem to shy away, and he was glad for that. Eiji took that as a sign, and asked a question he had always wanted to ask, ever since they may love the first time:

“Ash, do you believe in God?”

Silence. And then:

“Not really.”

“Why?”

“I’m convinced even God couldn’t stand how cruel my world is.”

His world: a dark past, hands dripping in blood, and a heart so heavy with guilt, guilt, guilt. It seemed as if Ash didn’t want some omnipotent entity running the cogs of his fucked up life. That would mean even a God who should love His beings didn’t seem to love him at all.

Eiji sighed. Ash took that as an opportunity to continue the question:

“Do you?”

“I think I do.”

That made him turn his head to look at him. His jade-like eyes pierced right through Eiji’s very soul - searching for an answer, for a reason.

Eiji felt held by his iron-like grip - but God, he fucking loved it. He smiled softly, lifting his right hand and placing it on Ash’s chest. He had the first three buttons of his dress shirt open, and his porcelain skin was still damp with sweat. But there was warmth where his fingertips touched him. There was life thrumming in him.

“I-I’m not sure why,” Eiji continued, racing mindless patterns on his skin, “Of course, I haven’t seen Him - I don’t think I ever will. But even in the cold, your heart is so warm. Even in the dark, your soul glows.”

Eiji shook his head in wonder, like a priest moved by a hymn. “That has to be God, right?”

_God is in our love. God is in you._

Eiji was fine with his question being left unanswered, and so he thought that was all there was going to be of it.

But then Ash smiled like the sun. He held the back of Eiji’s head, and brought his face closer, closer, closer - until their foreheads touched.

Warmth flooded through Eiji, but all he could focus on were those wild, green eyes. Words never left him, but he felt his message through Ash’s lips pressed against his: _you’re my ride or die._

Eiji shivered, but felt a smile break through nonetheless. It felt strange to feel so vulnerable yet powerful at the same time, but he didn’t want it any other way. He’d sacrifice a hundred safe nights if it meant he’d return to Ash’s loving arms every single time.

Being his ride or die made him feel free. Being _his_ made him feel alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Breathe if u cried
> 
> (I was inspired by the song ["Coming Down"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRXO77hJGKA) by Halsey! Let me know if you want more stuff from this AU or this ship!)


End file.
